Train Home
by DiaRose
Summary: Not the best title, I know. Oneshot, postHBP, on the train ride home. RHr


_The compartment on the train was silent except for the sounds of the world outside. Dumbledore's funeral had taken a lot out of all of them, and no one knew what to say. Few people were talking throughout the whole train; most were just hanging their heads in mourning, or trying to get their minds on something else._

_Harry was one of the latter, while most of his friends were the former. While Harry concentrated hard on the book in front of him, (he had to concentrate hard just to keep his mind occupied enough to make out the words) four of his friends were gathered in the compartment around him. Neville sat silently watching the floor, while Luna looked dreamily out the window thinking of who knows what, and Ron was watching Hermione and stroking her arm gently as tears began to stream silently down her face again._

_Harry kept his eyes on his book but stopped reading, when he realized that he couldn't remember a single thing he'd just read, or even the title of his book. He wasn't really thinking about Dumbledore either. If only his mind could have been this blank back when he used to take Occlumency lessons. That thought brought up another subject in his mind: Snape. This was a very troubling subject, and Harry was in no position to think about it at the moment._

_But he couldn't help it. If Snape crossed his path on his journey, Harry would kill him. He would kill him with the same look of hatred that Snape had had when he killed Dumbledore. He didn't know how he would do it, but he'd find a way. Harry's arms trembled with anger as he thought of the man who'd just killed his teacher, his mentor._

"_It's all right, Hermione." He heard Ron say, in a low voice barely loud enough to break the silence; he'd been saying things like this every few minutes for the whole time they'd been on the train. It had been enough to distract Harry, though. What was he thinking about? There must have been so many things on his mind that it just decided to block them all out._

_Harry heard a dreamy sigh from near the window and looked up. Luna was still just staring outside without moving her eyes, her head resting on her right arm, not looking particularly sad, or happy, or anything. Neville hadn't moved either. Ron was now sitting closer to Hermione, who was swallowing and blinking rapidly trying to hold back her tears. He was looking a little more uncomfortable than before, probably at his failure to get Hermione to stop crying. _

_This train ride seemed to be taking much longer than all the others had. Or maybe that was just because no one was speaking. Harry looked over Luna's head out the window, and saw that they were only just passing through Hogsmeade. That seemed impossible, they had already been on the train for hours hadn't they?_

_Harry directed his eyes back at his book, whatever it was called, and skimmed a few more sentences that stopped making sense once he'd finished reading them. His mind registered that the word "poison" was somewhere on this page, and he was reminded of the last day he'd spent with Dumbledore, and how he'd been forced to make him drink that awful potion, even through his screams of pain._

"_Come on, Hermione, stop crying." He heard Ron say soothingly, though still looking a little uncomfortable, like he wanted to say something more. The way he was touching her arm was just like he had held her at the funeral, just after Harry had ended things with Ginny. _

_This brought another thought to Harry's head: Ginny. Breaking up with her was the only way to go, if he didn't and something happened to her he could never forgive himself. She hadn't seemed angry, but she didn't seem to fully accept it either. He wasn't sure how it would be spending all the time he would be, in the same house with her. Would she try to reason with him? Would she succeed? No, Harry wouldn't give in; this was for her own good._

_Suddenly Ron said something else, but in a very different, much quieter and much more nervous than before._

"_Love you." He mumbled. Harry jerked his head up from his book and looked around the room. Neville had done the same, just as surprised as he was. Hermione was staring at Ron now, who was taking care not to look away from his hands. He'd created a very awkward moment for everyone in the room (except Luna, who took no notice) and it was completely inappropriate timing for such a confession, but at least he'd finally succeeded in making Hermione stop crying._

"_What?" She asked. Harry had the same feeling he'd had back a few months ago in a Herbology class, the last time they'd had a somewhat personal discussion right in front of him. This one was worse. He wished they'd leave the compartment, or stop talking or something. He wanted to leave the compartment but he was glued to his seat. He wanted to turn back to his book but his eyes wouldn't seem to move. He couldn't help but take a little interest that seemed to overpower the extreme discomfort. Ron wrung his hands._

"_Well… I was wondering if we could go to Bill's wedding together… I've been thinking so for a while…" He swallowed, still not looking at her. "You said I should ask you first next time."_

"_I said that two years ago." She said. "More, even and… did you say you loved me?" Harry and Neville exchanged brief, awkward looks, and then turned back to watch the rest of the scene play out. They'd obviously forgotten that the other three were in the room. Ron's face was very red, and he didn't look like he could breathe. He swallowed a few more times before choking out a single word._

"_Yeah." He swallowed a few more times. "And I know I snogged Lavendar, but that was just because you snogged Vicky and…"_

"_I never kissed Victor." She said, looking surprised. He did too._

"_You didn't?" He asked._

"_No." She said. "And if I did… that would have been a really long time ago, you can't have felt threatened by that!" Ron shrugged, still looking uncomfortable, though Harry wasn't sure whether Ron could possibly be more uncomfortable than he or Neville were. _

"_Sorry." He mumbled even quieter. Hermione seemed to have forgiven him quickly enough, however, for in one swift movement she had pulled him over into an enthusiastic kiss, which he returned just as passionately. Harry couldn't decide whether he was more surprised or disgusted. He'd expected this to happen but he certainly didn't expect it to happen right in front of him, and he definitely didn't want it to._

_After a moment Hermione and Ron stood, and left the compartment. Who knew where they went, probably somewhere more private. Neville and Harry looked at each other, open-mouthed for a moment, as if silently asking if they had just witnessed the same scene. Harry tried to shake the image of his two best friends, like siblings to him, kissing. All other thoughts forgotten, and still feeling very uncomfortable, Neville and Harry remained as silent as before._

"_You know this is around where the Crumple-horned Snorcack was spotted." Said a dreamy voice from the windowsill, and Harry and Neville remembered that Luna was still in the compartment. They turned to look at her. She was still staring out the window with a dreamy look on her face, and clearly hadn't noticed that anything had happened._


End file.
